Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
323 Allen Center
graduate.rice.edu
New Graduate Student Checklist
Before you arrive
○Log onto ESTHER ( for your personalized matriculation information. Your Esther Login letter will be sent from to the e-mail address provided on your application. In some cases this letter may be filtered to your email’s spam. After May 31st, please contact your department coordinator if you have not received this email.
○The mandatory Graduate Student Orientation will be held August 19, 2015.
○International student orientation is scheduled for August 17th and 18th.
- Contact your department coordinator for information regarding your department’s orientation.
- Go to to set your NetID password for email, OWL-Space, and using Rice computers. Then seta different password for your Rice Google Apps like Calendar and Drive. Helpful how-to links include:
- Rice Google Calendar - university-wide calendar system
- Docs.rice.edu - Do It Yourself instructions for VPN, Rice email in Thunderbird, Outlook, etc.
- Map to your U: Drive - Individual Storage Space
- Box Collaboration - for use in supporting faculty research
- Your RICE EMAIL is your official means of communication with the university. If you prefer another service, set your Rice email to forward to another email address using WebSieve. Be wary of phishing scams and NEVER reveal your Rice passwords.
- - Read and work your Rice email
- - Set up email forwarding, vacation messages, and DSPAM filters
○Read all e-mails and updates from your department coordinator and .
○Visit complete the ONLINE TRAININGS required of all graduate students. It is recommended that these be completed before arrival if possible. Each training must be completed before October 1, 2015.
○Complete the HEALTH DATA FORM ( return to Student Health Services by July 1 to prevent registration delay. Please make note of your required vaccinations needed and take care of them early.
○Over the summer log on to and register for or waive Rice HEALTH INSURANCE (all students must have health insurance).
○AFTER YOUR MOST RECENT DEGREE IS CONFERRED, request an OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT showing degree conferred from all previous institutions if these were not included in your original application. Have the transcript sent directly to your department coordinator.
○Complete theIT expectationssurvey here.
○Print a Rice University Map ( for your future reference. If you have an iPhone, download the free Rice app at An app for Android devices is coming soon.
○Pay your bills via your ESTHER account (the Fall down payment is due August 15th).
○Log on to OwlSpace for additional information regarding life at Rice!
After You Arrive
●LAB SAFETY TRAINING for ALL STUDENTS WORKING IN LABS
Time and Location to be announced. This is typically scheduled the week before classes begin.
●Stay in touch with your department coordinator.
●Attend the GENERAL ACTIVITIES FAIR
Time to be announced, check for this and other news and resources at and OwlSpace
●Students receiving a stipend must turn in your W-4 to your department coordinator or the Payroll Office to be paid.
●Register for DIRECT DEPOSIT through ESTHER.
You’ll need your routing and account information to complete this process.
The Payroll Office is located on the 26th Floor of the Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza, located at MacGregor and Main Street outside Campus Entrance 3.
●UPDATE CONTACT INFORMATION, EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION and SIGN HONOR CODE in ESTHER.
●REGISTER FOR CLASSES beginning August 20th (last day to add classes isSeptember 4, 2015).
●Rice ID CARDS
ID cards are obtained in the lobby of the Rice campus police department.
Hours are 7AM-5PM, Monday-Friday.
Look for Orientation week graduate student ID processing hours on theGPS Facebook page.
●REGISTER FOR PARKING
The parking office located in the Central Garage below the Jones School of Management. Hours are 7AM-5PM, Monday-Friday.
General Announcements
Review the General Announcements section related to Graduate Students:ga.rice.edu
Academic calendars for each semester are available from The Office of the Registrar:registrar.rice.edu
REGISTERING, DROPPING, and ADDING COURSES:
●Full-time students must be registered for a minimum of 9 credit hours. Part-time students must be registered for a minimum of 3 credit hours.
●September 4, 2015 – Last day of registration period
●October 9, 2015 – Last day to drop courses in Fall 2015
TIME BOUNDARIES
Master’s students -
●Completion of degree: 5 years
●Time to candidacy: before the beginning of 5th semester of enrollment
●Time to thesis defense: before end of 8th semester of enrollment
Doctoral students –
●Completion of degree: 10 years
●Time to candidacy: before the beginning of 9th semester of enrollment
●Time to thesis defense: before end of 16th semester of enrollment
APPROVAL OF CANDIDACY
Candidacy marks a midpoint in the course of graduate education.
Achieving candidacy for the doctoral degree implies that a graduate student has:
●completed required course work,
●passed required exams to demonstrate his/her comprehensive grasp of the subject area,
●demonstrated the ability for clear oral and written communication, and
●shown the ability to carry on scholarly research in his/her subject area.
Petitions for candidacy can be found atgraduate.rice.edu.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THESIS DEFENSE made via events.rice.edu/rgs.
■Doctoral defenses must be announced two weeks in advance.
■Master’s defenses must be announced one week in advance.
Other Information
●For other all other inquiries, ask your department coordinator.